Despite warnings from various physicians and podiatrists, high-heeled shoes are more frequently being worn by women due to the increased role that fashion is playing in many women's lives and in today's society. However, this increased wearing of high-heeled shoes, which are generally defined as pumps that include heels of more than two inches, has resulted in a number of problems. Indeed, recent research by the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society regarding women's shoes and, in particular, high-heeled shoes has revealed that: nine out of ten women wear shoes that are too small for their feet; eight out of ten women say their shoes are painful; more than seven out of ten women report developing a bunion, hammertoe, or other painful deformity due to improper shoes; women are more likely to develop a foot problem because of improper fitting shoes; and, nine out of ten foot deformities in women can be attributed to tight-fitting shoes.
High-heeled shoes often include pointed toes and thin soles, and thus commonly cause crowding of the toes of a woman, while offering little if any support. In this regard, a quick turn or a stumble by a woman wearing high-heeled shoes can easily lead to her becoming off-balance and, consequently, put her at risk for a fall, a turned ankle, or worse. Additionally, it is not uncommon for frequent wearers of high-heeled shoes to experience pain in the balls of their feet and to develop blisters, corns, calluses, back pain, and aching heels, in addition to various deformities such as bunions, claw toes, and thickening of the nails, or even more serious orthopedic problems such as osteochondritis, metatarsalgia, and sesamoiditis.
It is known that high-heeled shoes typically distribute the wearer's body weight unevenly, thus placing excess stress on the ball of the foot and the forefoot. It is also known that the height of the heel itself can cause a dramatic difference in the pressure that occurs on the bottom of the foot. Indeed, as the height of the heel increases, the amount of pressure placed on the forefoot increases as well and can, in some cases, more than double.
Despite the available knowledge regarding high-heeled shoes, currently-available high-heeled shoe designs have failed to alleviate the problems experienced by many women. To date, a high-heeled shoe has yet to be sufficiently provided that blends fashion appeal with comfort, and people suffering from various problems as a result of wearing high-heeled shoes continue to simply be instructed to seek out comfortable, low-heeled shoes. However, those types of shoes are frequently unattractive and/or difficult to find, making them an unsuitable alternative to high-heeled shoes.